Magi-tek
Magi-tec, magitech, magitek, magical technology, '''or technomancy''' is a term used to describe technology and the study of technology that is Red Matter (Rm) enhanced, achieving functions and abilities it would not have normally been able to without magic, having greater function because of magic, using magic as a power source, or to achieve certain objectives via magic instead of another means. Most magi-tec requires a wizard in order to operate it. The exception to this is red-matter computing systems, which take advantage of the innate randomized, erratic behavior of Areum to assist in quantum computing. History The loosest definition of 'technology' would have magic affecting technology since civilizations were first able to manipulate Red Matter. Magic in its earliest form had been used to enhance the properties of swords and armor in warfare, farming techniques and construction of great castles and fortresses. With the advent of gunpowder, magic soon began enhancing guns as well. In the Middle East, flying carpets could be considered a form of magi-tec, though many dispute this being magi-tec as there were no existing propulsion systems to replace or improve. These instances of magic were incredibly rare and observed only in wealthy individuals. Greek Fire is thought to be a flame weapon that would result in fireballs adhering to their targets and be extremely difficult to put out; water would only intensify it and allow it to spread faster. It is thought that this fire was created from an early form of Alchemy and wielded by wizards. In Medieval siege warfare, some trebuchets were magically enhanced to increase their range. As the Crusades began and persecution of wizards and magic practitioners rose, particularly in Europe, many wizarding communities opposed worldly 'mundane' technology that their non-magical were discovering, preferring to use magic to solve their problems and to perform tasks instead. However despite this many wizards disagreed and continued to remain integrated with general society, following along with the progress of technology and applying magic whenever they could. Magical technology was a contributing factor to European dominance of the world during the Age of Sail and Colonial Era, as access to Red Matter allowed expanding empires to augment their forces to brutally overwhelm and conquer native communities and their rivals who challenged them for settlement. Post-Revelation With the Resurgence in the 19th century causing a massive growth in the wizarding population and making mages acceptable once again in society, magic became a de facto part of everyday life. This resulted in the further merging of magic and technology, resulting in enhanced steam engines and iron-working. The exponential increase of the wizarding population and the increasing prevalence of magic in society meant that not only was the mating of magic and technology possible, it was encouraged. During World War II, there was an arms race by both the Allies and the Axis powers to develop magically enhanced weaponry and powerful magically-augmented machines that would gain them a decisive advantage in war. Much magi-tec research was done during this time of warfare, leading to many breakthroughs and discoveries that would impact later research and production of magic technology. This included Rm-enhanced nuclear weaponry and directed-energy weapons. Modern Day In the United States, magi-tec is regulated by the US Department of Magical Affairs along with relevant agencies a specific technology may fall under. Equipment that is magically enchanted and is manufactured tends to have the letter 'R' or the initials 'Rm' in its designation, modifying the designation of the original subject to indicate that it is magically enhanced. Examples of this include the [[AK-47 assault rifle #Magical variant|AK'R'-47]] variant of the AK-47, the [[ACS-1 Citadel-class aerial battleship #Magical Citadels (ACS-1R)|ACS-1'R']] variant of the ACS-1 Citadel, and the Messerschmidt Rm-262 variant of the Me 262 jet fighter. Many examples of modern technology use magitek. However due to the wizarding population being only a small fraction of the total general population and the fact that most magitek only works with wizards, magitek is considered a alternate form of technology and is by no means the standard. Despite this, magically enhanced manufacturing can greatly positively affect conventional technology by improving quality of components, reducing costs of manufacture and increasing durability. Many wands owned by modern wizards are computer controlled, but traditionalist wizards often prefer not to adopt this feature. Modern magitek computing systems take advantage of the erratic behavior of Red Matter, using it with quantum superposition to create immensely powerful computers, some of which are powerful enough to have become the first forms of artificial intelligence, something that traditional pure-technology machines are unable to accomplish. Characteristics Magic infused with technology allows the technology to be capable of tasks that would normally not be possible with the suspension of the laws of science. This enables vehicles to levitate, extremely powerful directed energy weapons that fire bolts of mana, unlimited power generation, extra mass to be stored in compressed form within spaces normally not large enough to fit, and changing the density, mass and volume of objects. Combined with the advantages that a given technology might have, magic augments its capabilities further and and often creates a superior device to the original equipment. Unlike spellcasting, magi-tec does not require the concentration or sustained attention of a wizard operator to carry out its function due to the use of runes and intent arrays. Red Matter equipment casts a distinctive fire-red glow when energized, if the supply of Rm is visible. When paired with electrical systems and conducting or generating electricity, it is a teal-blue glow instead. Magical technology can run off of magic instead of requiring power or charging from non-magical power sources. Most magical technology requires a wizard to operate it, the exception being the aforementioned Red Matter computers. Technology reliant on wizards will cease functioning if the wizard operating it moves beyond its Red Line radius. This can be used to an advantage to ensure that only certain personnel are able to operate certain equipment. Control Runes The behavior of Red Matter used in magitek can be determined with the use of imprinting control runes on the devices that magic is enhancing, as a form of written magic. Spatial memory resonance can affect Red Matter: it is a process whereby self-organizing systems inherit a memory from previous similar systems. By taking advantage of this property and utilizing these runes, Red Matter devices can be 'programmed' to follow and execute a certain function when activated by a wizard. Dark magic Some more ancient and extremely conservative wizarding familes and factions within the wizarding world consider the combination of magic and technology to be Dark magic, due to their beliefs that modern technologies are a sign of humanity's degradation and loss of values, criticizing over-reliance of technology and its disadvantages and effects on social interaction. Most wizards however do not share this opinion. A less laughed-at opinion is that magic being used to enhance weapons of mass destruction and tools of genocide count as Dark magic. A most prominent and unfortunate example are instances of Rm-enhanced nuclear weaponry, whose effects are greatly worsened by magic magnifying the nuclear blast, most notably outright obliterating Tokyo at the end of World War II. List of notable cases of magitek Equipment and weapons * Modern wands, scepters, and staffs. * Weapons on the Yamato and Bismarck battleships. (World War II) * M1942 Rm-Enhanced Magi-Tec Assault Rifle (1942) * Hydra-II Rm-Enhanced Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (1970) * ULC-10 Magitec Assault Rifle (2000s) * Rm-enhanced nuclear weaponry (1945 to present) Vehicles * Valkyrie-class Luftwaffe magitek bombers (World War II) * B-30 Meteorfortress bombers (World War II) * Messerschmidt Rm-262 (World War II) * Mitsubishi A6RM Zero (World War II) * MR-4 Sherman Tank (World War II) * [[ACS-1 Citadel-class Aerial Battleship|ACS-1 Citadel-class Aerial battleship]] (1989) * Charlie Lang's motorcycle (2010s) Magically-assisted industry Several corporations, countries and militaries use magic to their advantage; while they cannot operate magical technology with normal people, they can still use magic to enhance the quality and effectiveness of non-magical technology with the assistance of wizards. * '''Industrial purification processes '''use magic to filter out impurities and repair imperfections resulting from production, as well as accelerate production itself and ensure quality control. In certain applications magic can greatly accelerate manufacturing and construction without any loss of quality. * '''Steel and metallic component manufacturing '''uses magic to its advantage to imbue metals with enhanced strength, purity, and conductivity of electricity. This has a wide variety of applications, from electronics to aircraft to armor. * '''Carbon fiber purity control '''uses magic to stabilize and re-form carbon molecules into extremely resilient configurations that increase the material's strength, a feat that would be impossible with conventional non-magical laboratory resources. Category:Magic